What is the seal of the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is referred to as the “deposit,” “seal,” and “earnest” in the hearts of Christians (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30). The Holy Spirit is God’s seal on His people, His claim on us as His very own. The Greek word translated “earnest” in these passages is arrhabōn which means “a pledge,” that is, part of the purchase money or property given in advance as security for the rest. The gift of the Spirit to believers is a down payment on our heavenly inheritance, which Christ has promised us and secured for us at the cross. It is because the Spirit has sealed us that we are assured of our salvation. No one can break the seal of God.

The Holy Spirit is given to believers as a “first installment” to assure us that our full inheritance as children of God will be delivered. The Holy Spirit is given to us to confirm to us that we belong to God who grants to us His Spirit as a gift, just as grace and faith are gifts (Ephesians 2:8-9). Through the gift of the Spirit, God renews and sanctifies us. He produces in our hearts those feelings, hopes, and desires which are evidence that we are accepted by God, that we are regarded as His adopted children, that our hope is genuine, and that our redemption and salvation are sure in the same way that a seal guarantees a will or an agreement. God grants to us His Holy Spirit as the certain pledge that we are His forever and shall be saved in the last day. The proof of the Spirit’s presence is His operations on the heart which produce repentance, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), conformity to God’s commands and will, a passion for prayer and praise, and love for His people. These things are the evidences that the Holy Spirit has renewed the heart and that the Christian is sealed for the day of redemption.

So it is through the Holy Spirit and His teachings and guiding power that we are sealed and confirmed until the day of redemption, complete and free from the corruption of sin and the grave. Because we have the seal of the Spirit in our hearts, we can live joyfully, confident of our sure place in a future that holds unimaginable glories.

You pose two tremendous question to me. The Bible does not speak of formally declaring one’s abandonment [or renouncing] of “The Holy Spirit” as a cause of loosing one’s salvation. At the point of making such a declaration I think I would have to question whether the individual was actually saved; or for that matter, a Christian to begin with. Especially since the Holy Spirit is as intricate a part of God as is the Son. To renounce one is as serious as denouncing all three and would not be a good representation of Christendom.

I have a post/article of which addresses the question of “Can a Christian lose salvation?” Perhaps it too will help answer some serious questions on “loosing one’s salvation.

Now in the event you’re discussing “Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” that is somewhat different and I must post more on Blasphemy since there is so much to be said on the topic. In my post/article on “What is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?” I merely touch upon the subject.

In your final portion of your two questions “do we lose our free will to choose salvation?” implies the person in question here is not yet saved initially. Technically one can not loose what one does not have (salvation). In our natural, unregenerate state, we are carnally minded, not spiritually minded. “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can it be” (Romans 8:6-7). These verses tell us that before we are saved, we are at enmity (war) with God, we do not submit to God and His law, neither can we. The Bible is clear that, in his natural state, man is incapable of choosing that which is good and holy. In other words, he does not have the “free will” to choose God because his will is not free. It is constrained by his nature, just as the prisoner is constrained by his cell. [See: Is God sovereign, or do we have a free will?

Donald, I truly hope this has been helpful to you. I want you to review this and if you have additional comments or question, please, do not hesitate to get back with me. I also want to thank you for your questions and comments; they are always greatly appreciated.